Model car race track

ABSTRACT

The model car race track shown in the drawings comprises a sheet I of PVC material of approximately 0.5 mm to 2 mm thickness which is printed on a first side (shown in FIG.  1 ) with indicia indicating the course of a race track for toy remote control racing cars of the type described above. In order to delimit the route of the race track and to prevent the cars from leaving the track, two elongate flexible barriers ( 2, 2 ′) are releasably secured to the sheet in positions overlaying the indicated position of the track barriers (or in any other positions desired by the user).

The present invention relates to a model car race track for use withwireless remote controlled (usually radio controlled or infra redcontrolled) model racing cars and more particularly to a model car racetrack that can be stored in a rolled up condition and then rolled outflat for use.

Recent advances in technology have led to the development of small,pocket sized “micro” wireless remote controlled model racing cars, suchas the Tomy Bit Charg-G. Such cars are only about 60 mm long, 32 cm wideand 24 mm tall and contain rechargeable batteries that are charged by“docking” the car onto a charging port on the controller. Since the carsare so small they can be used in confined indoor spaces and have becomevery popular in recent times.

A disadvantage with such toy racing cars is that they do not operatesatisfactorily on carpeted surfaces since dust and fibres can becometangled in the drive mechanism and the uneven surface of the carpetprovides excessive drag. Accordingly, the cars need to be operated on asmooth flat surface for best results.

Provided two or more cars are operating on different frequencies theycan be raced together. In such circumstances the enjoyment of the racingcan be greatly improved by providing a track around which the cars canrace, the track being delimited by side walls or barriers through whichthe cars cannot pass. Although the cars are small, when used indoors arelatively large surface is required to form a satisfactory race track.Accordingly, there is a need for provision of a race track, having asmooth running surface upon which the cars can be operated and providedwith side walls or barriers delimiting a course for the cars, which canbe quickly and easily packed away when not in use.

It is known to provide rigid barrier sections that can be assembled andplaced on a playing surface to delimit the course of a race track.However, such barrier sections require disassembly to be packed away.The assembly and disassembly of the barrier is thus a time consumingchore and once a preferred race track design has been achieved it maynot be possible to recreate the preferred design once the barriers havebeen disassembled for storage.

According to the present invention there is provided a race track for atoy racing car comprising a substrate having a running surface uponwhich the car can be driven and at least one elongate barrier memberreleasably securable to the substrate to delimit a route around whichthe car can be raced, wherein both the substrate and the at least oneelongate barrier member are formed from flexible materials.

The formation of both the substrate and the barrier member from flexiblematerials permits the race track to be stored in a rolled condition withthe elongate barrier member secured to the substrate, if desired.

Preferably the flexible substrate comprises a sheet of flexible materialsuch as polythene, PVC or rubber. The sheet may have indicia provided onone or both sides thereof indicating suggested positions for the placingof said elongate barrier member so as to define a race track, as well asother indicia, such as starting grids and lane markings for the racetrack.

Each elongate barrier member may be formed from a moulded or extrudedstrip of rubber, polyurethane foam, polyvinylchloride or similarflexible resilient material of circular, square, rectangular or othercross section. The barrier member may be in the form of a solid sectionor a hollow tubular section, such as in the manner of a pipe.Alternatively, each elongate barrier may be formed from a length of ropeor cord.

The barrier member may be formed from a series of sections securable toone another end to end such that the overall length of the barrier canbe varied by adding or subtracting sections.

In one embodiment the elongate barrier member is releasably securable tothe running surface of the substrate by means of suction cups providedon the lower face of the barrier member. The suction cups may beattached to the lower face of the barrier member or may be formedintegrally with the barrier member.

In an alternative embodiment the elongate barrier member may bereleasably securable to the running surface of the substrate by means ofa layer of weak adhesive or cohesive layer provided on the lower face ofthe barrier member. It is also envisaged that the material from whichthe substrate and the barrier members is formed may be such that a weakcohesive bond is formed when the barrier member is pressed against thesurface of the substrate.

In a further embodiment the substrate may be provided with a pluralityof apertures or female fastening means, the lower face of each barriermember being provided with a plurality of pins or male fastening membersadapted to be received by said apertures or females fastening means ofthe substrate to releasably secure the barrier members to the substrate.The fastening members may be formed integrally with the barrier members.

Alternatively each male fastening member may comprise a lower part of asecuring means, each securing means having a further fastening memberprovided on an upper part thereof, said further fastening member beingreceivable in corresponding receiving apertures provided in the lowerface of the barrier member.

In a preferred embodiment each securing means includes a lower malefastening member adapted to be received by said apertures of thesubstrate and an upper retaining member adapted to engage at least partof the peripheral surface of the barrier member in order to retain thesecuring means thereon such that the securing means can be clipped ontothe barrier member at any desired location.

In a yet further embodiment at least a portion of the substrate may becoated with a ferro-magnetic material and the elongate barrier membermay be releasably securable to said portion of the substrate by means ofmagnetic material provided at least on the lower face thereof.Preferably said magnetic material is incorporated into the materialforming at least part of the elongate barrier member.

It is also envisaged that the running surface of the substrate may beprovided with a flock or fibrous material defining a loop type fasteningpart of a hook and loop fastener and the lower face of the elongatebarrier member may be provided with hook type fastening material suchthat the elongate barrier member may be releasably secured to thesubstrate.

According to a further aspect the present invention provides a barrieror side wall securable to a surface to define the route of a race trackfor toy racing cars, the barrier comprising an elongate flexible member,securing means being provided on the lower face of the member or beingsecurable thereto whereby the barrier can be releasably secured to thesurface in any chosen position and any sinuous, curved or straightarrangement to delimit a route around which the car can be raced, thesecuring means preferably comprising one of a plurality of suction cups;a layer of weak adhesive or cohesive layer; magnetic material; aplurality of pins or male fastening members extending from the lowersurface of the member, said fastening members adapted to be insertedinto apertures or recesses provided in the surface; or hook typefastening means releasbly securable to a loop type material provided onthe surface.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a racetrack for a toy racing car comprising a substrate having a runningsurface upon which the car can be driven, raised portions being providedon the surface of the substrate defining one or more elongate barriersor side walls delimiting a route around which the car can be raced,wherein both the substrate and the at least one elongate barrier memberare formed from flexible materials permitting the race track to bestored in a rolled condition with the elongate barrier member secured tothe substrate. Preferably the raised portions are formed integrally withthe substrate.

The present invention will be described further, by way of example, withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:—

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one side of a model car race track according tothe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view through a portion of the barrier memberindicated by line A-A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of a securing member according to a firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of a securing member according to a secondembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a securing member according to a thirdembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view through a barrier member according to furtherembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is an end view of a barrier according to a fifth embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the barrier of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view of a connecting member for interconnectingsections of barrier as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8;

FIG. 10 is a side view of a securing clip according to the fifthembodiment of the invention.

The model car race track shown in the drawings comprises a sheet 1 ofPVC material of approximately 0.5 mm to 2 mm thickness which is printedon a first side (shown in FIG. 1) with indicia indicating the course ofa race track for toy remote control racing cars of the type describedabove.

In order to delimit the route of the race track and to prevent the carsfrom leaving the track, two elongate flexible barriers 2, 2′ arereleasably secured to the sheet in positions overlaying the indicatedposition of the track barriers (or in any other positions desired by theuser). In the example shown in FIG. 1 the barriers are secured to thesheet over pre-printed markings to delimit the course of a race trackhaving four left hand bends and a right hand bend separated bystraights. Markings are also provided on the sheet to indicate astarting grid positions 4 and a finish line 5. Whilst one particulartrack design is shown, many other different designs may be possible.Such designs may require the use of more or less elongate barriers thanthe design shown in FIG. 1 and the number of barriers provided with thesheet may be varied accordingly.

As shown in FIG. 2, each elongate barrier 2, 2′ comprises an extrudedpolyurethane foam section (although other resilient flexible materialsuch as rubber or neoprene may be equally suitable) having an elongatechannel 3 provided in a lower face thereof, a innermost region 4 of thechannel having a diameter greater than the outermost region 5 of thechannel, for receiving a plurality of securing members (see FIGS. 3 to5), each securing member having a retaining peg extending from an upperregion thereof, each retaining peg having an enlarged head portionadapted to be received within the channel 3 provided in the lower faceof the barrier 2 to retain the peg of each securing member in thechannel. The securing member may be fitted to the elongate channel byforcing the peg into the channel 3 in a direction perpendicular to thechannel or by sliding the pegs into the channel from a free end thereof.

In a first embodiment each securing member comprises a suction cup 5 bymeans of which the barriers 2, 2′ can be releasably secured to the sheet1, a retaining peg 6 extending from the upper face of the suction cup 5for insertion into the elongate channel 3 provided in the lower face ofthe barrier 2, 2′ as described above. In the event more secure adhesionto the sheet is required, a weak adhesive or double sided tape (havingstronger adhesive on the side in contact with the barrier) may beprovided on the faces of the suction cups 5.

In a second embodiment each securing member comprises a base 10 having apeg 6 extending from the upper face thereof for retaining the securingmember in the channel 3 as described above, and a further retaining peg11 extending downwardly from the lower face of the base 10 and having anenlarged head portion 12 at a lower end thereof, a plurality of apertureor recesses (not shown) being provided in the upper surface of the sheetor being formed through the sheet into which apertures or recesses theretaining pegs 11 of the securing means can be inserted to releasablysecure the barrier 2, 2′ to the sheet 1.

In a third embodiment each securing member comprises a base 20 having apeg 6 extending from the upper face thereof as described above, thelower face of the base 20 of the securing member being provided with ahook part 21 of a hook and loop fastening system, said hook part 21being secured to said base 20 or being formed integrally therewith.

It is also envisaged that the securing members may be formed integrallywith the barrier as shown in FIG. 6 wherein a fourth embodiment is shownin which a plurality of suction cups 30 are integrally moulded on thelower face of the flexible barrier.

In a fifth embodiment of the invention, shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, thebarrier comprises a plurality of elongate tubular hollow sections 2formed from PVC or other suitable polymeric material in the manner of apipe, the sections being interconnected by means of connecting members50 (shown in FIG. 9) having end portions dimensioned to be received inadjacent ends of the sections of barrier and a central portion having adiameter equal to the diameter of the barrier. In this manner the lengthof barrier can be varied as desired by adding or removing sectionsthereto or therefrom in order to produce a barrier or the requiredlength.

The barrier can be secured to the track by means of securing clips 40shown in FIG. 10. Each clip comprises a lower retaining peg 42 having anenlarged end, in the form of an arrow head, said retaining peg beingreceivable any of a plurality of apertures provided in the sheet 1 asdiscussed above in order to secure the clip to the sheet 1. The upperpart of each clip comprises a resilient circular barrier retainingmember 43 having an upper open section, the inner diameter of theretaining member 43 being substantially equal to or slightly less thanthe outer diameter of the tubular barrier 2 whereby the retaining member43 of the securing clip can be clipped around a section of the barrier 2to secure the clip to the barrier at any desired location. In use, aplurality of securing clips 40 can be clipped to the barrier 2 at spacedlocations and the retaining pegs 42 of the securing clips 40 can beinserted into the apertures in the sheet 1 to secure the barrier in thedesired position on the sheet 1 to define and delimit a race trackthereon.

The flexibility of the sheet and the barriers and the strength of theattachment of the barriers to the sheet permits the race track to berolled up and stored in a rolled condition with the barriers remainingin the desired positions on the sheet.

The reverse side of the sheet (not shown) may be have a grid patternprinted thereon to allow the user to design their own race tracks bysecuring the barriers to the track in any desired position. Theflexibility of the barriers permit them to be shaped into the desiredconfiguration to create curved and straight sections. Example tracks maybe provided on separate sheets of paper or may be printed on the edgesof the sheet on a grid pattern corresponding to that provided on thesheet by on a smaller scale. Accordingly, the grid pattern on the sheetcan be used as a guide in placement of the barriers to facilitate thereproduction of the example track designs on the sheet.

It is envisaged that the barrier 2 may be sold separately from the sheet1 for use on a variety of surfaces and a selection of securing means maybe provided in accordance with each of the above embodiments, theparticular securing means to be used being selected depending on thesurface to which the barrier is to be secured.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown) the sheet forming the track maybe formed from a mesh material, such as a loose weave fabric coated withpolymeric material, having a plurality of apertures of suitabledimensions for the receipt of the retaining pegs of the securing clipsin order to maximise the number of available apertures into which thebarrier securing clips can be inserted to provide maximum flexibility inthe shape of the barriers, thus maximising the number the possible trackdesigns.

1-21. (canceled)
 22. A race track for a toy racing car comprising aflexible substrate (1) of flexible sheet material having a runningsurface upon which the car can be driven and at least one elongatebarrier member (2, 2′) releasably securable to the substrate in anychosen position or in any of a plurality of positions to delimit a routearound which the car can be raced, wherein both the substrate (1) andthe at least one elongate barrier member (2, 2′) are formed fromflexible materials.
 23. A race track for a toy racing car as claimed inclaim 22, wherein the flexible sheet material is polythene, PVC orrubber.
 24. A race track for a toy racing car as claimed in claim 23,wherein the sheet is provided with indicia on one or both sides thereofindicating suggested positions for the placing of said elongate barriermember (2, 2′) so as to define a race track, as well as other indicia(4, 5), such as starting grids (4) and lane markings for the race track.25. A race track for a toy racing car as claimed in claim 22, whereinthe or each elongate barrier member (2, 2′) is formed from a moulded orextruded strip (2 in FIG. 2 or 6) of rubber, polyurethane foam,polyvinylchloride or similar flexible resilient material of circular,square, rectangular or other cross section.
 26. A race track for a toyracing car as claimed in claim 22, wherein the or each barrier member(2, 2′) is in the form of a solid section (FIG. 2) or a hollow tubularsection (FIG. 7), such as in the manner of a pipe.
 27. A race track fora toy racing car as claimed in claim 22, wherein the or each elongatebarrier (2, 2′) is formed from a length of rope or cord.
 28. A racetrack for a toy racing car as claimed claim 22, wherein the or eachbarrier member (2, 2′) is formed from a series of sections (FIG. 8)securable to one another end to end such that the overall length of thebarrier can be varied by adding or subtracting sections.
 29. A racetrack for a toy racing car as claimed in claim 22, wherein the or eachelongate barrier member (2, 2′) is releasably securable to the runningsurface of the substrate by means of suction cups (5) provided on thelower face of the barrier member (2 of FIG. 6).
 30. A race track for atoy racing car as claimed in claim 29, wherein the suction cups (5) areattached to the lower face of the barrier member (2 FIG. 6).
 31. A racetrack for a toy racing car as claimed in claim 29, wherein the suctioncups (30) are formed integrally with the barrier member (2 FIG. 6). 32.A race track for a toy racing car as claimed in claim 22, wherein the oreach elongate barrier member (2, 2′) is releasably securable to therunning surface of the substrate by means of a layer of weak adhesive orcohesive layer provided on the lower face of the barrier member.
 33. Arace track for a toy racing car as claimed in claim 22, wherein thematerial from which the substrate and the or each barrier member (2, 2′)is formed may be such that a weak cohesive bond is formed when thebarrier member is pressed against the surface of the substrate.
 34. Arace track for a toy racing car as claimed in claim 22, wherein thesubstrate (1) is provided with a plurality of apertures or femalefastening means, the lower face of the or each barrier member (2, 2′)being provided with a plurality of pins (12) or male fastening membersadapted to be received by said apertures or females fastening means ofthe substrate (1) to releasably secure the barrier member (2, 2′) to thesubstrate (1).
 35. A race track for a toy racing car as claimed in claim34, wherein the fastening members may be formed integrally with the oreach barrier member (2, 2′).
 36. A race track for a toy racing car asclaimed in claim 34, wherein each male fastening member may comprise alower part (12) of a securing means (11), each securing means having afurther fastening member (6) provided on an upper part thereof, saidfurther fastening member being receivable in corresponding receivingapertures provided in the lower face of the or each barrier member. 37.A race track for a toy racing car as claimed in claim 34, wherein eachsecuring means includes a lower male fastening member adapted to bereceived by said apertures (3, 4) of the substrate (2, 2′) and an upperretaining member (43) adapted to engage at least part of the peripheralsurface of the barrier member (2, 2′) in order to retain the securingmeans thereon such that the securing means (40) can be clipped onto thebarrier member (2, 2′) at any desired location.
 38. A race track for atoy racing car as claimed in claim 22, wherein at least a portion of thesubstrate (1) is coated with a ferro-magnetic material and the or eachelongate barrier member (2, 2′) is releasably securable to said portionof the substrate (1) by means of magnetic material provided at least onthe lower face thereof.
 39. A race track for a toy racing car as claimedin claim 38, wherein said magnetic material is incorporated into thematerial forming at least part of the elongate barrier member (2, 2′).40. A race track for a toy racing car as claimed in claim 22, whereinthe running surface of the substrate (1) is provided with a flock orfibrous material defining a loop type fastening part of a hook and loopfastener and the lower face of the or each elongate barrier member (2,2′) being provided with hook type fastening material (21) such that theelongate barrier member (2, 2′) may be releasably secured to thesubstrate (1).
 41. A race track for a toy racing car as claimed in claim22, wherein both the substrate (1) and the at least one elongate barriermember (2, 2′) are formed from flexible materials permitting the racetrack to be stored in a rolled condition with the elongate barriermember (2, 2′) secured to the substrate (1).